Sanna Polo ( Spicy Yam Dosa)

This dosa is an authentic South Cannara recipe. Its a spicy dosa and hence doesn't need any chutney to enhance the taste. Its a blend of toor dal , rice and spices. This is commonly made with cabbage , bamboo shoots (my personal favorite) or just eaten plain (without vegetables). The best way to serve this is as a side dish for lunch or dinner (just like palya).

This dish at my home was usually prepared when a coconut would start to spoil and gives away a spoilt smell. A pinch of hing is added to compensate the smell from the coconut. Trust me the dosa as the end result doesn't carry the smell. My mum always served this straight from the skillet with a dollop of butter . As I would take a bite , I would wish for more spoilt coconuts ......

Ingredients

200g chopped raw yam

1 cup toor dal / yellow lentil

1/2 cup rice

3 tbsp grated coconut (fresh ones also taste the same , so don't bother to find for a spoilt coconut)

3 -4 dry red chillies / 1 tsp red chilli powder ( I used 1 tsp hot red chilli powder )

1 tbsp tamarind pulp

1 tsp salt

(For this dosa no hing/ asafoetida is required)

Method

Soak dal and rice separately for 1 hour . Grind together yam , coconut , red chillies , salt , tamarind into a smooth paste. Then add dal and rice , grind into a semi coarse paste. Add 1/2 cup of water to aid the grinding process. This mixture is the dosa batter , so more water can be added for a dosa batter consistency. Heat a non stick skillet and pour a ladle full of batter. Do not spread thin , just spread very lightly. Cook both the sides on a medium flame. Serve dosa with yogurt or with a dollop of butter.

I am posting this recipe for Padma's Dosa Corner Event , Sia's and Lakshmi's RCI Udipi and Mangalorean Cuisine and Padmajha Suresh's Let's Go Nuts event.

Spicy Mango / Mango palya

This recipe is from www.aayis.com with a slight variation. For the original recipe visit Pineapple Palya . Thank you for this awesome recipe. I am posting this recipe for the

Mango Mela competition hosted by Cooking for all seasons.

My variation includes ripe mango instead of pineapple and adding ingredients straight from cupboard instead of grinding into a powder (this was a cheat I used without compromising the taste). Believe me this dish will be a hit. This was the second time I made this within a week. Apparently I have ran out of mangoes else I wouldn't hesitate to make it tomorrow again.

Ingredients

1 ripe big mango diced with skin. (I have not used canned ones ever )

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

3-4 curry leaves

1 tsp urad dal/ beaten black gram

a pinch of asafoetida / hing

1 tbsp grated coconut

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 tsp sweetener/ sugar/ jaggery (I used sweetener for I am a health freak)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp water

Method

Heat oil , add mustard seeds . After they stop spluttering add urad dal, curry leaves , hing , red chilli powder , black pepper powder and coconut. Roast this for a minute or two till you get the aroma of the masala. Now add the diced mangoes , salt , sugar and water. Cook till the mangoes are tender , this would take about 10 mins. Serve this with steaming hot rice.

Simple Noodle

This is the basic type of noodles. Its easy and simple to make . Its ready within 20 mins. Noodles is such a versatile and complete dish. Noodles can be made dry or wet with gravy or can be very tasteful in chinese noodle soups. Any type of veggies can be added.

Ingredients

Any quantity and any type of vegetables can be added but I have added

200g noodles (any fresh or dried) I used wholewheat noodles.

1 julienne carrot

1/4 cabbage shredded

6-7 babycorn sliced lengthwise

1 large onion chopped

1 tbsp ginger - garlic- chilli paste

4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp rapseed oil

handful cilantro chopped for garnishing (optional)

Method

Heat rapseed oil in a wok . Stir fry onions ,giner - garlic - chilli paste , babycorn, carrot and cabbage. Then add soy sauce and noodles. Put off the flame and add toasted sesame oil and garnish with chopped cilantro. If you feel the noodles are bland , you can add more soy sauce.

Spicy Vermicelli / Shavige Bath

Ingredients

200g vermicelli / mung beans noodles

1 onion chopped

2 tomatoes chopped

6 baby corn sliced

1/2 carrot grated

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp urad dal / beaten black gram

1/2 tsp channa dal / beaten bengal gram

4 mild green chillies slit

1 sprig curry leaves

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp salt

handful of chopped cilantro to garnish

Method

Soak vermicelli in hot water for 15 mins. Heat oil in a wok , to this add mustard seeds . After they stop spluttering add cumin seeds , urad dal , channa dal , curry leaves , green chillies. Saute for a minute. Add chopped onion and saute till they soften and start turning brown. Add tomatoes and cook till they are tender and then add turmeric powder , salt , all the veggies. Cook till the veggies are cooked and tender. Now finally add the vermicelli and stir for 5 mins. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Variations

Any type of veggies (like green beans , peas, sweetcorn , peppers ) and any amount can be added to this.

Aubergine and green beans curry

I always bring home free food magazines from superstores. They have lots of good recipes . I even browse non veg recipes as well and substitute meat with soya chunks or tofu or just exclude meat from the recipe. I even substitute all non veg stocks with veg stock. This recipe was in January 2008 ASDA magazine. I had tried this earlier and was very delicious. You can make it dry and eat as a side dish or make curry with lots of gravy.

Ingredients
2 aubergines cubed
1 onion sliced
1 tomato chpped
handful of frozen beans (if using fresh ones then topped and tailed)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
handful of fresh coriander leaves chopped
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp oil

Method
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook till they pop. Add onions and saute for a minute till they start turning brown. Add aubergine , salt and cook for 3 minutes. Add turmeric , corainder powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder. Mix and stir well. Add 250 ml water (you could add more water for gravy or little water for dry side dish). Add tomato and green beans. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Vegan Celery Red Pepper Risotto

Ingredients
1 cup arborio rice
1 litre vegetable stock (I used just 1 stock cube)
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 large pods garlic finely chopped
1/2 red pepper finely chopped
1 celery stick finely chopped
1/4 cup soya milk
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soya margarine / spread
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper powder
few saffron strand to garnish (optional)

Method
Heat oil and melt butter together in a saucepan . Add onion and garlic . Saute till it starts turning brown . Now add celery and red pepper and stir for a minute or 2. Add rice and stir for a minute more . Now start adding stock little by little and keep stirring till the stock is absorbed and then again add more stock and stir . Repeat till all the stock is added . Add milk , salt and black pepper . Cover and simmer for 5 - 10 mins or till the rice is tender . Occasionally give a stir. The whole process of cooking risotto would take about 30 mins. Ladddle hot steaming risotto in a bowl and garnish with saffron strands.

Vegan Thai Curry

This recipe is for the "Its a Vegan World - Thai"




Ingredients

For curry paste
1 inch ginger piece
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion
1 mild green chilly
1 tsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp soya sauce (optional)
2 lime juices

For curry
1 carrot chunked
1/2 red pepper chunked
1/2 green pepper chunked
3 asparagus chunked
5 -6 mange-touts
349 gms firm tofu (this can be replaced with soya chunks also)
1/2 onion sliced
50 gms coconut cream
1 cup of hot water
handful of coriander chopped
1 kaffir lime leaf (optional)
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp salt

Method

For Paste
Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend it into a smooth paste , add little water if necessary.

For Curry
Heat oil , sauté onions till they start to brown. Now add the curry paste , saute for a minute . Add vegetables , creamed coconut, salt and hot water. Bring to boil , add kaffir lime leaf and simmer it for 20 -2 5 mins or till all the veggies are tender and cooked. Garnish with corainder leaves. Serve with hot steamed white rice.

Note : While making this curry you can use as many vegetables as you like and the quantity of each vegetable can be as much as you like.

Amazon Tripod to improve photos

I have always been disappointed about my pictures I post of my recipes. Lately, my husband suggested me to buy a tripod from Amazon , its called Gorillapod. Its quite a cute model , it has several nodes so it can be bent into any shape. My dad in law has a similar smaller version of the one I am buying. During some of our small trips, we borrowed it from him and it is easily portable. Hey guys , if u want to buy a tripod, then this one is really worth seeing.

VEGETABLE LOVE 2009 - Upma / Spicy Semolina with Mixed Vegetables

I am posting this recipe as an entry for the Vegetable Love 2009 competition.

This is the first culinary competition I am participating . I am very excited . The recipe I have posted is very easy and quick recipe. The advantage of making this is , it takes just 20 - 25mins to make it from scratch and its absolutely delicious and not to forget, its healthy too. Hence, you don't need to spend hours and hours in the kitchen preparing a meal for the special day. About the recipe, its a south Indian breakfast , but can be eaten for evening snack or as any main meal. I have used 5 different vegetables and 1 type of herb.

Ingredients

1 cup mixed frozen vegetables (preferably without green beans. I have used frozen peas,half fresh carrot chopped and frozen mixed peppers. You could also add frozen sweet corns or baby corns)
1 large onion chopped corsely
1 medium sized tomato chopped coarsely
1/2 cup semolina
2 1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal / beaten black gram
1 sprig curry leaves
2 medium hot green chillies slit into two
handful of chopped corrainder
2 tbsp grated coconut/ dessicated coconut (optional)
1/2 tsp salt

Method

Heat a wok and dry roast semolina till it leaves an aroma , this may take about 5 mins. Remove the semolina into a bowl. Now heat oil in the same wok , add mustard seeds. After they stop spluttering, reduce the flame to minimum and add urad dal/ beaten black gram, curry leaves, green chillies. Saute it for a minute and then add onions. Saute this for a minute or two and add tomatoes and mixed vegetables and salt. Cover and cook on medium flame for 5 - 10 mins or till they are cooked. You can add 2 tbsp water if the vegetables are dry. Now add all the roasted semolina and 2 1/2 cups of warm water. Now reduce the flame to minimum and gently stir it for 3 -4 mins till semolina absorbs all the water and becomes a semi solid consistency. Remove from flame . Garnish with grated coconut and corrainder.

Vegan Broccoli Cheese

Oh this looks little messy........ but this was the best I could take.....

Ingredients
1 broccoli head cut into florets (I do not discard the stem , I use them as well)
1 cup soya milk (I used sweetened)
1 tbsp plain flour
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper powder
1 tbsp soya spread
190g (1 packet )of Redwood mozzarella cheese / any non dairy cheese (you can experiment with cheddar style) grated

Method
Cook the broccoli in microwave for 10 mins / till they are tender. Meanwhile make white sauce by melting soya spread in a saucepan . Add plain flour and then slowly add milk little by little and keep stirring . Make sure to blend the little milk you add with the plain flour to make a smooth paste and then add little more milk. Repeat this till all the milk is added and the suace is ready without lumps. If any lumps, do not panic, you can blend it into smooth sauce . Add salt and pepper to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the cooked broccoli and top it with grated cheese.
Bake it in the oven for 20-25 mins or till the cheese melts and starts turning golden brown.

Wholewheat Penne with mushroom and tomato sauce

Ingredients
300 gms wholewheat penne
1 carrot cut into strips
1 large onions chopped into strips
2 large tomatoes chunked
3 tbsp tomato puree
3 garlic pods finely chopped
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
10 -15 mushrooms chopped
1 tbsp oil, preferably olive oil
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper powder

Method
Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the packet ( cook the pasta in 1 litre of water , drain and wash under cold water to remove extra starch and also it helps separate the pastas from each other ).

Heat oil in a large pan . Saute onion and when they start turning brown , add garlic and saute till the garlic starts browning. Add carrots and cook for 5 mins.Now add mushroom and coo till they sweat , add water if the mushrooms starts sticking to the pan. Now add tomatoes and tomato puree dissolved in 1 cup water. Add salt and pepper powder. Cover and cook till the tomatoes are tender and mushy. This could take about 10 mins. Add dried herbs and the pasta. Mix them and let the pasta heat for 5 mins . Keep stirring to avoid any sticking to the pan. Add water if the sauce is too dry to coat all the pasta. Serve with vegan parmesan (optional), I have not added.

Tips
You can add as many vegetables and as much as you like (peppers , baby corn, zucchini , sweetcorn , aubergine , sun dried tomatoes)
You can even add vegan sausages , seiatin . (I added Redwood's Ham style vegan Cheatin cut into thin strips while serving).

Vegan Baby Broad Bean Pate / Hummus

My husband just hates broad beans, but I quiet like it. Now I had to invent a dish using baby broad beans. One day I was watching a food show on TV and they were making a dish using humus, and then the thought occurred to me "Why not use baby broad beans instead of chickpeas?" and thus , this recipe came into existence. My husband quiet liked it, he did not realize he was eating baby broad beans till i told him.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen / fresh baby broad beans
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of salt
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of black pepper
1/2 lime /small lemon juice
1/4 tsp paprika powder (optional)

Method

Defrost frozen beans , remove the skin (if using fresh ones , then cook them in microwave for 10 mins or till they are tender and the skin can be removed easily). Put all the ingredients along with de-skined beans into a blender with 1 - 2 tbsp water and whiz. Water is to aid the mixture to blend , if the mixture can be blended without water then do not use water. Care should be taken that the blended mixture is of humus consistency and not very liquidy. Pate / Broad beans humus is ready . At this point you can taste and add more spices or salt if required and then garnish with a pinch of sesame seeds and red chilli flakes.

Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
1 cauliflower chopped (do not discard the thick stem , chop them and use for the soup)
3-4 garlic pods coarsely chopped
1 large onion coarsely chopped
750ml vegetable stock
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oil

Method
Heat oil in a saucepan , add chopped onions and garlic . Saute them for 1 min or till they start turning golden. Now add chopped cauliflower , salt. Cover and cook till they are tender. Now add stock. Bring to boil and simmer and cook for 5 mins. Aloow it to cool for atleast 1/2 hour and then blend it to a smooth puree. Again boil the soup and sprinkle black pepper powder while serving.

Red Kidney Beans and Yam Curry

Ingredients

1 can of cooked red kidney beans
100g yam chopped and cooked or 1 can of cooked yam
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
6-7 garlic pods crushed
2 cups water

For masala

3 tbsp grated coconut

3 dry red chillies

1 tsp tamarind juice

Method

For masala
Grind all the masala ingredients with lttle water to a smooth paste.

For curry
Mix masala, kidney beans, yam, salt and water in a saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer and cook for 10 mins. Meanwhile heat oil in a small pan and add garlic and saute them till they carmelise. Add this garlic to the curry . Serve this with steaming hot white rice.

Savoury Lentil Bean Pie

Ingredients

For filling
1/2 cup mixed dry beans (black beans, adzuki beans and black or brow lentils)
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp corrainder powder
3 garlic pods finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp oil

For pastry
1 cup plain flour
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Method

For pastry
Mix all the pastry ingredients and knead into a dough. If the dough is too dry, add little water or if the dough is watery or sticky, add little flour. Divide the dough into 2/3rd and 1/3rd part. Flatten them and place the 2/3rd part into a greased baking tin.

For filling
Soak all the beans without the lentils overnight. Next morning cook them with lentils with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 45 mins . Heat oil, add cumin ,onion and garlic, saute it for 1 min or two or till they turn golden brown. Now add cumin and corainder powder. Saute for a minute or two . Now add all the cooked beans with the cooked water. Add salt and chilli powder. Allow it to cook for 5 -10 mins . Then cool for 30 mins atleast and pour this filling into the tin and cover the pie with flattened 1/3rd part of the dough. Prick it with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Brush this with milk . Cook them in a oven at gas mark 6 for 30 mins till the top is golden brown.

Sprouted moong beans curry for rotis/ tortillas

Bean sprouts are rich in proteins and are commonly used in Chinese and Japanese cuisines. They are also added in stir fries to boost the protein. Bean sprouts are also used in Indian cuisines. It is used to make curries and side dish for rotis. But the sprouts used in India are just 1 - 2 days sprouts unlike Chinese who use largely sprouted beans.

Ingredients

1 cup moong beans sprouted and cooked
1 large tomato finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp sambhar powder / curry powder
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
4 garlic cloves finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp turmeric

Method

Heat oil in a sauce pan , add mustard seeds. After they splutter , add cumin seeds, curry leaves, onions and garlic. Saute it for 5 mins or till the onions start turning brown. Add tomato and cook till they are mushy. Now add turmeric, salt, curry / sambhar powder and chilli powder. Add 1/4 cup water if required. Cover and cook for 10 - 15mins . Serve this on a bed of rice or with tortillas or naans.

Vegan mushroom soup

Mushrooms are rich in folic acid and this becomes essential part of diet for an expecting mother. This is also a good meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans. This can also be stir-fried with cabbage , carrots , baby corns, bamboo shoots , spring onions with minced garlic and ginger with a dash of soy sauce and sprinkling of sesame seeds. I have prepared a hearty thick soup .

Ingredients
20 - 25 button mushrooms halved
1 large onion coarsely chopped
3 pods of garlic coarsely chopped
750 ml vegetable stock
a pinch of salt
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp oil

Method
Heat oil in large pan and add onions and garlic. Saute this for a minute or 2 or till they start turning brown. Now add chopped mushrooms and pinch of salt. When they start sweating , add stock and pepper . Bring to boil and cover it. Simmer and allow to cook for 15 - 20 mins. Now the soup should be cooled for atleast 30 mins before it is blended smooth. This can be served with a hot crusty wholemeal bread.

Baked sweet-corn pakoras / fritters

Pakoras are the most commonly served Indian appetizer. Usually they are made of onions only but then to add variety , many people add carrots, cabbage, green peas... About 4-5 years ago my mum had prepared this sweetcorn pakoras and we liked them a lot , but that was the first and last time she made them. About a week ago , I had a desire to eat sweetcorn pakoras and when I asked my mum for the recipe, she had forgot......

Now It was time for an experiment. i had prepared cabbage pakoras quiet a few times and so i had to just replace cabbage with sweetcorn..... This was easy. But I was also worried of all those extra fat that we would consume if I deep fry it. It then occurred to me of baking . This process will definitely take longer time but its safer and easy and you don't have to stand near the hob and wait for them to cook unlike deep frying.

The entire preparation for this recipe just took about 15 mins and while it was baking in the oven , i was happily relaxing watching TV. For people who love sweetcorn, this is really a treat.....


Ingredients

1 cup sweetcorn (I used frozen sweetcorns)
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tsp corrainder seeds crushed (preferably freshly crushed, do not powder it)
1/4 tsp salt
1 green chilli finely minced (optional), I did not use it because we do not like the chilli bits while eating.
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 - 2tbsp chickpea flour/ gram flour (the amount may vary depending on the quantity of water left after defrosting. I had about 1 tbsp water left after defrosting the corns.)

Method

Defrost the sweetcorns and do not discard the little water obtained after defrosting them. To this add chopped onions , salt, green chilli , red chilli powder and gram flour. Mix them thoroughly . The consistency should be crumbly mixture but when made a ball it should bind together. Grease a baking tray and spoon this mixture into lumps of 1 spoon each. Spray the top of these lumps with little oil and bake it for 30 - 40 mins or until golden brown and crisp at gas mark 6. this can served with coconut chutney or ketchup or just eaten without any dips. This recipe will make about 6 - 8 pakoras but varies depending on the size of your spoon.

Homemade Apple Pie

I am a health freak so I try to avoid sugar, butter and too much of salt. I also substitute butter with vegetable il where ever possible. In this recipe I have not used sugar at all and substituted butter with oil. You coudl even use wholemeal flour instead of plain flour but I have used plain flour .
My husband has a sweet tooth and he relishes anything thats sweet and so he loves fruits more than veggies. Lately, he has been exercising to put down his weight and so I thought of treating him for this. I had some gala apples and had to finish them , this was an easy and quick way of finishing them.

Ingredients
3 apples (I have also used fuji apples. you can experiment with any apples) peeled , cored and sliced
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp rose essence
1 tbsp cinnamon powder

For dough
1 cup plain flour
a pinch of salt
1 tsp oil to brush
1/4 cup water

Method
Heat a pan and throw in all the sliced apples , sugar and rose essence. Cover it and cook it till the apples become mushy. Sugar will help it breakdown quickly. Allow it to cool.

Meanwhile make the pastry. mix all the dough ingredients and make a dough. Roll it and brush with oil. Fold it and again roll it and again brush with oil. Repeat this for 5 times. Then divide the dough into 1/3 rd and 2/3 rd parts. Roll the 2/3rds to fit into the baking tin . Brush the tin with oil and roll this pastry into the tin. Pour the apple sauce into the pastry. Now roll the other 1/3 rd part and use this to cover the pie. Prick the cover with fork to let the steam escape during baking. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon powder. Bake this in a preheated oven at gas mark 6 for about 20 - 30 minutes or till the pie is golden brown.